Transcript Pandemic Preparedness: Roles and Responsibilities for

Pandemic
Preparedness:
Roles and
Responsibilities for
Supervisors
Objectives of this training
The knowledge you gain by completing this course will
help you to understand your role and responsibility as
a Supervisor, in responding to a pandemic event in the
workplace.
• In this course you will learn:
– Difference between seasonal and pandemic influenza
– Different types of influenza: avian, swine, and the Novel
H1N1 influenza
– How the virus spreads
– How to reduce spread/exposure in the workplace
– State Agency Human Resource Policies
– Your role as a Supervisor
Pandemic Preparedness: Roles and Responsibilities
for Supervisors
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below.
What is seasonal influenza?
Seasonal influenza:
• Is a serious illness occurring annually
• More than 225, 000 hospitalizations per
year in U.S
• 36,000 deaths/year in the US
– Most deaths in persons 65 years old and older
• 6th leading cause of death in adults
• Kills nearly as many or more Americans as:
– AIDS (14,000)
– Breast Cancer (40,000)
• Is a “big deal”
What is Pandemic Influenza?
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Novel strain of virus
Little to no immunity in the general public
Virus infects all age groups
The “novel” virus can spread easily person-person
Spreads throughout multiple countries and continents
More than one wave of influenza is likely
Waves typically last 6-8 weeks
Implications of a Pandemic
• Essential Services could be
disrupted
– Health care Facilities overwhelmed
– Banks, stores, restaurants,
government, post offices,
transportation/delivery of food and
fuel
– Health care systems overwhelmed
• Social distancing implemented
– Schools may be closed
– Large gatherings/meetings canceled
– Mass transit services curtailed
Impacts on Employers
• Absenteeism could impact
up to 40% of the workforce
during the peak of the
pandemic
– Sick with flu
– Caring for ill family
member
– Children at home if
schools/daycares close
– Afraid to come to work
• Increase in demand for
certain services
• Essential supply chain
disruptions
Avian or “Bird” Flu
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Also known as Highly Pathogenic (HP) H5N1
Virus that affects birds
Not easily transmitted from human to human
Predominately occurring in SE Asian countries
Could change and become a human pandemic
Properly cooked/prepared poultry is not a risk
Swine Flu
• Respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A
influenza viruses
• People do not normally get swine flu, but human
infections can and do happen
• Swine flu viruses have been
reported to spread from
person-to-person, but in the past,
this transmission was limited
• You can’t get Swine Flu from
eating pork
Novel H1N1 Influenza
New influenza virus that is
spreading from person-to
person.
Is a combination of several
different strains: swine flu,
bird flu and one strain of
human flu.
Declaration of Public
Health Emergency in the
United States
World Health Organization
has raised Pandemic level to
Phase 6
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of Novel H1N1 flu in people are similar to those
associated with seasonal flu.
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Fever
•
Cough
• Sore throat
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Runny or stuffy nose
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Body aches
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Headache
• Chills
• Fatigue
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In addition, vomiting (25%) and diarrhea (25%) have been
reported. (Higher rate than for seasonal flu.)
How does Novel H1N1 Influenza spread?
• This virus is thought to
spread the same way
seasonal flu spreads
• Primarily through respiratory
droplets
– Coughing
– Sneezing
– Touching respiratory droplets on
yourself, another person, or an
object, then touching mucus
membranes (e.g., mouth, nose,
eyes) without washing hands
How can you create a healthier work
environment?
• If your employees are ill request they stay home.
• If your employees become ill at work, ask them to
leave the workplace.
• Encourage employees to cover their cough and wash
hands often.
• Encourage employees to wipe down work stations
often with sanitizing wipes.
• Alcohol-based hand wipes or
gel sanitizers are also effective.
If employees get sick…
• Current recommendation is for people to remain
at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of
fever (100° F),or signs of a fever without the use of
fever-reducing medications.
• Remind them to limit their contact with other
people as much as possible.
Employees will be needed at work
• State government will continue to
have people to support and services
that must be delivered.
• People will still have their
disabilities, illnesses, or support
needs, even if they contract the flu.
• People will continue to request our
services, may even be an increase in
requests for certain services from
our customers.
• Citizens will look to all of us during
an emergency
PRIORITY SERVICE ONE
1
Immediate threat to public health, safety or welfare
These functions must remain uninterrupted. Generally, these would include functions
that operate 24 hours a day and/or 7 days a week.
(Priority Service One functions do not cease on holidays or weekends)
PRIORITY SERVICE TWO
2
Direct economic impact, or have constitutionally or statutorily mandated time frames
for completion
These functions may be disrupted temporarily or might be periodic in nature, but must
be re-established within a few days.
PRIORITY SERVICE THREE
3
Regulatory functions required by law, rule or order that have the ability to be
suspended during an emergency
These functions may be disrupted temporarily (a few days or weeks) but must be reestablished sometime before the pandemic wave is over (<6 weeks).
PRIORITY SERVICE FOUR
4
All other services that could be suspended during an emergency that are not required
by law or rule
These functions may be deferred for the duration of a pandemic wave (6-8 weeks).
General Human Resource
Expectations
• Policy: To continue providing critical
services to the citizens of Minnesota to
the extent possible.
– Employees will be expected to report to
work as assigned.
– Managers will be expected to take the
necessary steps to accomplish the
agency’s priority services.
Labor Relations – Emergency
Administration
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Policy: Per Minnesota State Statute, 12.21, Subdivision 3,
Certain collective bargaining agreement and plan provisions
may be suspended in order to manage the state’s critical
services
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Collective bargaining agreements and plans will be honored to the
extent possible.
Changes will be considered in relation to state statute.
(not at the risk of failing to provide critical services
to the citizens of the state of Minnesota)
Leaves
• Policy: Certain discretionary leaves may not
be granted to employees except as required
by law or in accordance to the collective
bargaining agreements.
– Rescission of leaves
– Sick leave use
– FMLA
– If work is not available
Assignments, Schedules and
Position Filling
•
Policy: Appropriate measures will be taken to
adequately staff the state’s critical services
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State employees may be deployed to alternative
worksites or another state agency.
Employees deployed to perform critical services will be
expected to report to work.
Social Distancing measures will be in place.
Compensation and Payroll
• Policy: The state will
continue to pay
employees who work as
assigned or on approved
paid leave
– Compensation provisions
not expect to change.
– May be delays or
priorities identified
relating to processing the
types of payments.
Insurance Benefits
• Policy: Insurance benefits expected to be
maintained during pandemic period.
– Insurance eligible employees will continue to
receive health insurance coverage and will continue
to receive the employer contribution during this
time.
– Employees expected to continue to pay the
employee contribution.
– Agencies will be required to continue to make the
employer contribution for health insurance
coverage.
– Insurance laws still apply including COBRA, HIPAA
and other relevant provisions of employer benefit
programs
Health and Safety
• Policy: State agencies will implement
occupational health and safety
recommendations.
– Consistent statewide application of
recommendations important.
– Safe workplace critical to ensure worker confidence.
Performance Management
• Policy: Employees are expected to report to work
and perform duties, unless directed otherwise.
– Recommendations from the Department of Health will be provided as
necessary.
Your role as a Supervisor
•
Familiarize yourself with agency policies and guidance on
dealing with a pandemic health crisis
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Identify alternative methods for continuing critical office
functions during a pandemic health crisis and discussed
them with your employees:
– Alternative work arrangements, such as remote
access, working from alternative sites, and flexible or
compressed work schedules
– Communication plans and procedures
– Teleconferencing and/or videoconferencing
arrangements
•
Review your agency and office human resource policies
•
Watch for alerts or changes to policies relating to sick
leave (for example, sick leave usage)
Your role as a Supervisor
• Update employee contact information and
develop a plan for keeping the information
current
• Establish and test procedures for contacting
employees (i.e., telephone call trees or
comparable procedures)
• Develop a contingency plan for
accomplishing work during increased
employee absenteeism, including crosstraining workers to cover for employees
who are not able to work.
• Plan for 3-deep in priority 1 and 2 services
Your role as a Supervisor
•
Familiarize yourself with your agency
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
procedures and communicate with
employees about the EAP
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Identify employees with special needs,
such as those with physical impairments,
and include their needs in planning
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Familiarize yourself with employee and
agency requirements and obligations for
requesting and approving leave and other
agency-specific policies and procedures
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Familiarize yourself with agency specific
guidance on communications and discuss
the guidance with employees
Actions Supervisors can take
• Discuss the pandemic and the possibility of
an other wave of an outbreak with your
employees
• Explain that state government operations
will continue. Stress need for employees to
plan for how they will continue to work (in
office, at alternative site, or from home)
• Remind your employees about the
availability of information on the Minnesota
Department of Health and Minnesota
Management and Budget Websites (listed at
the end of this presentation)
Actions Supervisors can take
• Reassess all positions and employees for potential remote
access agreements
– Establish agreements/procedures in accordance with
agency’s remote access plan and offer remote access
agreements to eligible employees
– Implement remote access arrangements as broadly as
possible so systems and employees are fully prepared for
remote work
Summary
 Minnesota Department of Health
anticipates that there will be more
cases, more hospitalizations and
more deaths associated with this new
virus in the fall because the
population has little to no immunity
against it.
• We must all work together to limit
and control the transmission of novel
H1N1 influenza in order to continue
priority government services.
Special thanks to….
• Dept of Natural Resources AudioVisual Production
• Minnesota Management and
Budget staff
• Narrators
– Rick Lorenzen
– Colleen Schmitz
• Pandemic Flu Executive
Committee
– Department of Administration
– Department of Health
– Homeland Security and
Emergency Management
– Minnesota Management &
Budget
– Office of Enterprise Technology
For more information
• Emergency preparedness
– MN Homeland Security and Emerg. Management
– Ready.gov
– Red Cross
• Human Resources and Continuity Planning
– BeReadyMN.com
• Pandemic influenza
– Centers for Disease Control
– MN Department of Health